Column Babylon 5 Rewatch Babylon 5 Rewatch: “In the Kingdom of the Blind” Mollari starts to suspect that all is not right on Centauri Prime, and Byron argues for a telepath homeworld. By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on April 27, 2026 Credit: Warner Bros. Television Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Warner Bros. Television “In the Kingdom of the Blind”Written by J. Michael StaczynskiDirected by David J. EagleSeason 5, Episode 9Production episode 509Original air date: March 18, 1998 It was the dawn of the third age… Garibaldi brings a report from the Rangers to Sheridan and Delenn: cargo ships are being destroyed. These aren’t raiders, as they aren’t actually taking the cargo—they’re just showing up and blowing the ships to hell. There’s no evidence, no survivors, no pattern. But all the cargo ships being targeted belong to the IA. Mollari and G’Kar arrive on Centauri Prime. Minister Vitari assumes G’Kar is entertainment, and maybe he should be in chains, just in case? Mollari tartly states that G’Kar is his bodyguard, and no, that’s not a joke. Everyone is pretty nonplussed. On B5 in downbelow, Byron and Alexander gather all the rogue telepaths on B5 and inform them of what Byron learned when he and Alexander made mad passionate nookie-nookie: human telepaths were created by the Vorlons. Alexander points out that they can’t exactly get justice from the Vorlons for creating a slave race because the Vorlons are very very gone. Byron, however, wants the IA to give them a homeworld. On Centauri Prime, Mollari has a late-night drink with an old friend, Lord Jano, who informs him that the Regent has been in seclusion for ages. There are several bits of information that are being re-classified as for the Regent’s eyes only. And when the Regent himself has appeared, he’s been absent-minded and drunk. That last surprises Mollari, as the Regent has always been a teetotaler. While Jano and other members of the Centaurum and the aristocracy have been forbidden from seeing the Regent, Mollari might have better luck. They promise to meet in the morning. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Jano returns to his quarters to find the lights not working—and the Regent sitting in his chair. The Regent is rambling, saying that none of this is his idea right before an unseen assailant throws Jano into the wall. On B5, Sheridan and Delenn conclude a meeting with the IA ambassadors, saying that a security report will be uploaded to them tonight. Then they exchange a look, knowing that the Rangers’ report on the cargo ships will not go over well and lead to all kinds of cranky accusations and backing-and-forthing and other nonsense. The ambassadors all go their separate ways, but each of them is followed by one of Byron’s telepaths. On Centauri Prime, Mollari and G’Kar show up in the throne room, but neither the Regent nor Jano are there. Mollari sends Vitari to find Jano. While they wait, Minister Vole plays a stupid game with G’Kar, trying to prove that the Narns are all barbarians, but G’Kar declines the invitation by proving himself to be the better person in every possible sense. Vitari returns, horrified—Jano has apparently killed himself. However, Mollari knows Jano too well—he would never commit suicide, he was definitely murdered. On B5, Byron approaches Garibaldi with a request to address the IA council—but he won’t say why. Garibaldi can’t give him the ambassadors’ time if he won’t say what it’s for. Byron then reads Garibaldi’s surface thoughts, and says he has information about the cargo ship attacks, but it’s information he needs to give to everyone at once. Garibaldi then agrees. At the next meeting, after all business is concluded, Sheridan gives Byron the floor. He proceeds to, ahem, divert from his prepared remarks and instead talk about how the telepaths should get a homeworld. He even has Alexander provide handouts. He also says that his people have shadowed the ambassadors and know their secrets. If they don’t get a homeworld, those secrets will be revealed. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Garibaldi is livid, pissed that he allowed himself to trust a telepath. Sheridan says that he sees Byron’s point, and even sympathizes, but he has gone about it in entirely the wrong way. On Centauri Prime, Vitari tells Mollari that the Regent will see him. As Mollari and G’Kar head toward the Regent’s quarters, they see that they’re being followed. G’Kar remonstrates with the pursuers, but a door comes down to separate Mollari from G’Kar. Mollari is then confronted by Vole, who states that Mollari is in the way of his ambitions and throws a knife at his chest. However, the knife stops in midair before it can hit Mollari, turns, and flies back into Vole’s chest. Mollari sees a red-eyed figure hiding in the shadows, but then the door opens to reveal that G’Kar has successfully remonstrated with the would-be assassins. Turning back, the mysterious figure is gone. On B5, while the telepaths are trying to stay hidden, some Drazi find one and start beating the shit out of him. Byron urges his people not to respond with more violence, but one telepath refuses and gathers some folks to remonstrate with the Drazi. (No one could be bothered to name this guy, but I’m really not interested in calling him “the telepath agitator” or whatever, so since he’s in opposition to Byron, I’m going to name him “Southey,” after the Poet Laureate of England that the poet Lord Byron made fun of repeatedly, notably in the satirical poem “The Vision of Judgment.”) Byron is saddened by this. He urges his people to gather food and go into lockdown. Southey doesn’t like this idea—he thinks they should go and fight. But Byron argues that tensions are running too high right now. The delay of their being in lockdown will allow calmer heads to prevail. Southey disagrees and shows off the weapons they took off the Drazi. Byron sighs and tells folks to do as they will. Allan visits Sheridan on Lochley’s behalf. Sheridan predicts what she told him to say: that it was a mistake to grant protection to Byron’s people. Sheridan reluctantly agrees and tells Allan that the protection is rescinded. On Centauri Prime, Mollari confronts Vitari, who insists he knew nothing about the assassination attempt, he was told that that was where the Regent was. After being sufficiently intimidated by both Mollari and G’Kar, he runs off to find the Regent. Then Mollari is beckoned into the throne room by the Regent. He’s even more incoherent than he was with Jano. He knows about Vole’s attempt on Mollari’s life, and says that “they” saved him because “they” like him. The Regent refuses Mollari’s implorations to explain what the fuck is going on, saying he should enjoy life while he can. The Regent assures Mollari that they’ll speak once more before the end. Oh, and he also says that “they” don’t want him to look into any weird shipping anomalies or anything like that. Credit: Warner Bros. Television After Mollari leaves—telling G’Kar that he still has no idea what’s going on—a tentacle starts to strangle the Regent, but he insists he told Mollari nothing. Meanwhile, Mollari wants to return to B5. Since he was a child, the royal court has always been like home to him, but no longer. He also wonders what Centauri ships are being used for. We then cut to a Centauri ship blowing up a Brakiri convoy. Allan has crews trying to cut through the bulkheads that Byron’s people are locked behind. He also tries to appeal to Alexander directly over the PA, to no avail. Get the hell out of our galaxy! Sheridan has buyer’s remorse for his granting of asylum to Byron’s people. Never work with your ex. Lochley doesn’t appear in the episode, but she does send Allan to give Sheridan an I-told-you-so. The household god of frustration. Garibaldi has buyer’s remorse over letting Byron speak before the council. If you value your lives, be somewhere else. Delenn pointedly reminds Sheridan that President Luchenko said the same thing to Sheridan about his civil war that Sheridan himself is saying now about Byron and his people. Sheridan grumbles to Garibaldi that he hates it when his wife is right… In the glorious days of the Centauri Republic… All is not well on Centauri Prime, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free. When G’Kar shows up by Mollari’s side, the nobles assume that he’s there as entertainment. Vole later presents G’Kar with the guard who lashed him at Cartagia’s behest and hands him a whip. After swearing in front of all these witnesses that there will be no consequences to whatever action he takes next, Vole asks what he’ll do. G’Kar hands the whip back, saying he doesn’t blame the tool for what the wielder of the tool did. This disappoints Vole, as he was hoping for proof of Narn barbarity and instead exposes his own. The Corps is mother, the Corps is father. Southey sees the response of the IA to their request as the start of them being treated by the IA the same way the Psi Corps does, and he won’t stand for it. The Shadowy Vorlons. Byron’s opprobrium is directed at the Vorlons, and understandably so, but holding the IA’s feet to the fire for the Vorlons’ actions is more than a little misplaced… Looking ahead. The events on Centauri Prime are very obviously setting up the future we saw in the “War Without End” two-parter. Mollari and Virini’s final conversation predicted in this episode will occur in “Movements of Fire and Shadow.” No sex, please, we’re EarthForce. Byron and Alexander are now officially a couple, and Alexander pledges her loyalty to Byron. One suspects this will end badly for both of them… Credit: Warner Bros. Television Welcome aboard. We get three new Centauri nobles in this one: Ian Oglivy as Jano, Francis X. McCarthy as Vole, and Neil Hunt as Vitari. Plus we’ve got Damian London, back from “Epiphanies” as the Regent, finally given the name Virini. London will return in “Movements of Fire and Shadow.” On the station side of things, Robin Atkin Downes is back from “Secrets of the Soul” as Byron, while Victor Love makes the first of two appearances as “Southey.” Downes will return next time in “A Tragedy of Telepaths,” while Love will be back in “Phoenix Rising.” Trivial matters. This episode was written to take place immediately after “Secrets of the Soul,” as Byron refers to its events as happening the previous day. The rejiggering of airdates due to TNT’s showing March Madness college basketball games meant that “Day of the Dead” got inserted between them. It’s not stated outright, but it’s likely that the assassination attempt on Mollari in “Strange Relations” was masterminded by Vole. G’Kar was whipped on Cartagia’s order in “The Summoning.” The Regent took over the throne and also was given his keeper in “Epiphanies.” The Vorlons and Shadows buggered off beyond the rim without leaving a forwarding address in “Into the Fire.” President Luchenko rebuked Sheridan for his methods in “Rising Star.” The echoes of all of our conversations. “Narns are barbarians—primitives! Turn your back on them for a second, they’ll stick a knife in it!” “A Narn would never stab a Centauri in the back. It has always been our tradition to go for the chest—that way you can see the life go out of their eyes as they fall.” —Vole being racist and G’Kar being pedantic. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The name of the place is Babylon 5. “I think we are well beyond pastels now.” One of my favorite TV series is the 1976 BBC miniseries adaptation of Robert Graves’ I, Claudius (which actually adapted two of Graves’ novels about the Roman Empire, the other being Claudius the God). It also would appear to be one of J. Michael Straczynski’s favorites. The Centauri Republic has always had a very Roman Empire vibe to it, and that went from vibe to active tribute with the Emperor Cartagia arc at the top of season four. I absolutely adored the Centauri half of this episode because it reminded me favorably of I, Claudius. David J. Eagle gave the whole thing a claustrophobic feel, the sort of crowded emptiness that the BBC miniseries cultivated (mostly due to budgetary constraints, but they made it work). They even went so far as to cast an I, Claudius alum, Ian Oglivy (who played Drusus) as Lord Dano. Damian London deserves a ton of credit here, as he plays the Regent’s resigned madness beautifully. London has gone from exposition vehicle to comic relief to tragic figure, and has excelled at every turn the scripts have given him. So, of course, do the always-reliable Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas. The latter in particular shines in the scene where Vole tries and spectacularly fails to get G’Kar to prove he’s a barbarian. Would that the station half of the episode could live up to its other half, but alas, we’re stuck with the tremendous drag effect of Robin Atkin Downes and his never-changing facial expressions, this time mixed in with his complete lack of charisma as he blandly gives the council his ultimatum. We’ve had some great scenes in the council chamber on this show, from the hearing about Jha’dur in “Deathwalker” to Mollari’s declaration of the terms of the Narn surrender in “The Long, Twilight Struggle” to Sheridan manipulating the League of Non-Aligned Worlds in “Rumors, Bargains, and Lies.” This scene, sadly, can’t live up to those others, squished flat as they are by Downes’ uninspired line readings. Of course, we see in this episode what we got hints of in “Secrets of the Soul,” to wit, Byron isn’t much of a leader. A few words from “Southey,” and he loses control of them completely, making you wonder how he managed to get them all together in the first place. Indeed, I’ve wondered that since we first met him… Next week: “A Tragedy of Telepaths.”[end-mark] The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “In the Kingdom of the Blind” appeared first on Reactor.